"Sometimes during rush hour I have to put the car out early," said Patterson, who lives at the corner of Case and Weslayan streets. "The other option is sometimes I have to back out of my driveway and go north when I really want to go south because I can't go across. I go north and then go around the block."

A proposed new bus line along Weslayan could bring even longer traffic back-ups and threaten the safety of pedestrians walking to nearby Colonial Park, Patterson said.

Metro last month released its draft Reimagined Network Plan, a sweeping redesign that establishes routes around the Houston area in a grid pattern.

During a presentation at a West University city council workshop last week, consultant Geoff Carlton of Traffic Engineers Inc., said the plan would replace the current "radial" pattern focused on funneling riders downtown or to the Texas Medical Center. The proposed structure favors east-west and north-south routes and aims to increase ridership by providing faster, more reliable trips, he said.

"What this system is really trying to do is match the transit system with the Houston of today versus the system that existed 30 years ago, which is largely what is in place right now," Carlton said.

As part of a public outreach process, Metro is holding meetings and accepting comments in a variety of ways through July 31.

"At that point all of that feedback will be consolidated and refined," Carlton said. "We know that people know their communities, know their neighborhoods, and we want to hear from them. We want to hear from West University about how the plan can evolve to meet the needs of the region but also the local neighborhoods."

Patterson has weighed in on the proposal at the meeting and online.

"I don't know that it would do any good to go stand in person and hold a banner up or anything - I'm not that sort - but as far as factual information, I've submitted what I can," he said. "There is no perfect solution."

Speakers during the workshop meeting argued that because Weslayan only has two lanes through West University, it is a poor choice for a north-south bus line when there are wider streets nearby. The draft plan does not have a bus line following Buffalo Speedway, although there is one along part of Kirby Drive.

"My concern is that some of the other streets that are being discussed, such as Buffalo Speedway and Kirby, those houses are set back much further away from the road than houses are on Weslayan," said Kelly Hall, who lives near the intersection of Swarthmore and Weslayan streets. "(On Weslayan) there's just the sidewalk and the house and that's it."

Several people also pointed out that few West University residents ride the bus.

Carlton said one of the reasons for choosing Weslayan was to cover existing riders who need to pass through the area.

"There's quite a bit of ridership on Stella Link just south of West University and then there's ridership north of West University in the Greenway area and we're also trying to connect to employment that is on the east side of (Loop 610) that hasn't traditionally been well-connected," he said. "So, when developing a plan, the bias was typically to go toward the straightest possible route that makes the travel time the shortest."

Metro board members Burt Ballanfant, who lives in West University, and Cindy Siegel, former Bellaire mayor, stayed after the workshop to encourage residents to continue to speak up about ways to tweak the plan.

"The input that you have could be most effective on how would this be installed," Ballanfant said.